Saving the Mall, Aid for All
By Richard Mineards   |   January 28, 2025

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, owner of the Rosewood Miramar, hired private firefighters and arranged for water tankers to save his Palisades Village Mall from the Pacific Palisades Fire that burned through 23,713 acres of prime California real estate, destroying 5,000 properties and (at the time of writing) killing at least 10 people. Jarring video showed […]

Nothing to Twain About
By Richard Mineards   |   January 28, 2025

Carpinteria’s former TV host Conan O’Brien is the newest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy. O’Brien, 61, has carved an improbable career arc, moving from goofy television interloper to comedic elder statesman. Along the way, he survived one of the most public failures on the history of TV on The […]

 

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More from Montecito

Art at the Casa
By Richard Mineards   |   January 21, 2025

Cadillac margaritas topped with Grand Marnier and burritos added to the decided Mexican theme when award-winning food writer and author Betty Fussell, 97, recipient of three James Beard Awards, welcomed her Mazatlán-based daughter Rosalind “Tucky” to Casa Dorinda for a joint exhibition of their artwork. Betty, who moved to our Eden by the Beach from […]

Good ‘Mean Girls’
By Richard Mineards   |   January 21, 2025

Mean Girls The Musical certainly hit the right note when presented by the American Theatre Guild at the Granada. The hilarious hit musical from 30 Rock actress Tina Fey and her husband, three-time Emmy winner Jeff Richmond, Legally Blonde lyricist Nell Benjamin, and Book of Mormon choreographer Casey Nicholaw, is the story of a naive […]

In the Forums
By Richard Mineards   |   January 21, 2025

Fest Forums, the signature three-day event for festival producers in the U.S., takes place at the Mar Monte Hotel next month from Feb. 12 to the 14th. The popular event, celebrating its 9th year, will host an impressive lineup of industry leaders, innovators, and creatives from across the festival landscape, with industry topics including sustainability, […]

Sending Support Down South
By Richard Mineards   |   January 21, 2025

Guy, Meghan Markle’s rescue beagle, has died. The Duchess of Sussex shared the sad news of her “sweet” pooch, who is appearing in her new Netflix homemaking show With Love, Meghan which was due to debut this week, but has now been postponed to March 4 given the conflagration in Los Angeles which has now […]

Starting 2025 with a Pop
By Richard Mineards   |   January 14, 2025

Philadelphia-based South African conductor Andrew Lipke was in fine form when he led the annual Santa Barbara Symphony New Year Pops concert at the Granada featuring a mix of film scores, pop, rock and other hits, with Lipke even swapping his baton for an electric guitar. Symphony board member Robert Weinman returned as honorary maestro […]

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  • New Year, Same Great Party
    By Richard Mineards   |   January 14, 2025

    As usual, tout le monde was at the New Year’s Day lunch thrown by affable gardening guru George Schoellkopf and international artist Gérald Incandela at their magnificent Summerland aerie. The tony twosome – who fly between their sprawling homes here and in the town of Washington, Connecticut – kicked off 2025 in splendiferous style with […]

    Angels Over the Holidays
    By Richard Mineards   |   January 7, 2025

    Adam’s Angels celebrated their fifth annual Holiday Community event at the Veterans Building when more than 100 volunteers prepared 650 meals of both meat and vegetarian lasagna, salad and dessert to make sure no one was left hungry during Yuletide. A ‘pop up shop’ had racks of new jackets, warm gear and shoes provided by […]

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    Local Couple Liked at Home
    By Richard Mineards   |   January 7, 2025

    Prince Harry was one of the British Royal Family’s most popular members, but his decision to move to Montecito and publicly criticize the historic institution has seen his popularity plunge. On October, 2019, the Duke of Sussex was liked by 71 percent and disliked by 22 percent of the British public. But data from last […]

    Homer Abroad
    By Richard Mineards   |   January 7, 2025

    Montecito’s Terry Pillow had more cause than most to quaff Champagne over the New Year when a photo of actress Portia de Rossi appeared in the London Daily Mail carrying one of his popular Homer leather bags at her new Cotswolds estate with wifeEllen DeGeneres. “The phones were ringing off the hook on Coast Village […]

    Nutcracker En Pointe
    By Richard Mineards   |   December 31, 2024

    It was certainly a Nutcracker with a difference when State Street Ballet – alongside the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra conducted by Brian Asher Alhadeff, and a chorus of youngsters from the Music Academy of the West’s Sing! Project and the State Street Ballet Academy – joined in the spectacular production at the Granada. […]

    Drink It In
    By Richard Mineards   |   December 31, 2024

    Now celebrating its 30th anniversary Pink Martini brought its signature multi-lingual blend of jazz, classic and pop music to a festive, sold-out Arlington Holiday Show staged by UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program. With a dozen musicians, founder Thomas Lauderdale on piano, and the undoubted vocal talents of leader singer China Forbes (a fellow student […]

    Singing Praises 
    By Richard Mineards   |   December 31, 2024

    Quire of Voyces under founder and musical director Nathan Kreitzer was in fine form at St. Anthony’s Chapel for its annual Yuletide concert. Traditional favorites like “Away in a Manger” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” were on the menu with the 11-part concert wrapping with “Silent Night.” A joyous afternoon full of Christmas spirit.

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